A precious gift
by Lucrecia LeVrai
Summary: Young Sephiroth takes the Masamune in hand for the first time.


A precious gift  
  
Disclaimer: I guess everyone knows what happens next. Blah, blah, blah. I do not own Sephiroth (although it's such a pity!) or any other Squaresoft characters. Only Ghalager and Fredrickson are mine but I don't really care about them. Just don't sue me or something. Yeah, right. as if anybody would do such a thing.  
  
Author's notes: Well, let me explain some important things here. I'm not American, neither English. This means (attention please!) this language is not my native one. This story has been originally written in my own language and then translated. So there may be a lot of mistakes there. and I bet there actually are a lot of them, although I've been learning English for quite a few years by now. BUT! Just read it, OK? Do not be easily discouraged by my stupid rambling! You may find this story interesting or well written anyway, so give it a try! Mainly it's a 'How Sephiroth got his Masamune' story from my own point of view.  
  
So here we go.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ghalager stopped by the stairs and Sephiroth did the same. He watched patiently as the general adjusted his officer's hat and the collar of his shirt. The man didn't need to do this, though; even without those attempts to look better he made a stunning and impressive figure. Well, this was to be expected - he was the main leader of SOLDIER after all. He was head and shoulders above the others, even literally speaking - he was more than two meters tall.  
  
Ghalager finished perfecting his looks and turned around to the boy who stood behind him. There was a difference in height of almost a meter between them, therefore the officer had to bend strongly to look at the child. The SOLDIER's eyes were very bright and very blue; they shone intensively thanks to Mako in them.  
  
"Damn, you could sometimes brush this hair aside because I can't even see who am I talking to!" the general said "And take your hands out of the uniform's pockets already!"  
  
Sephiroth followed those commands without any single word. The man watched him critically for a moment and then finally straightened up.  
  
"Alright." he stated "Do you know how you are supposed to behave?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Keep your mouth shut and don't say a thing without being asked!" he growled "Did you understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"More enthusiasm." Ghalager lectured him "President Shinra likes enthusiasm."  
  
"Yes, sir." the tone of Sephiroth's voice didn't change even a slightest bit.  
  
The SOLDIER's commander sighted. He checked his watch.  
  
"Alright, it's time. Let's go."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
If one considered its size, the president's office didn't look like a regular office at all; it resembled a huge swimming pool much more. Sephiroth remembered being here before. During the last visit he was eleven years old. Back then, the president smelled of cigars and used to talk all the time. Sometimes he was laughing; his mouth was never completely closed. Sephiroth didn't pay much attention to those words, he didn't also bother to keep them in mind. They were unimportant.  
  
Ghalager started to walk on the shining, marble floor and the boy followed without any unnecessary questions. The president was sitting behind a huge desk on a huge armchair. Shinra always loved everything that was monumental.  
  
A very large window was situated behind the president's back. Sephiroth suddenly remembered that a long, really long time ago, the president took him to that window and showed him the view of the city. The view was monumental, too. Technologically advanced Metropolis spread out everywhere within the line of sight, through the far and distant horizon. Sephiroth has never forgotten the impression that particular view gave him. Even though he didn't begin to like Midgar much more since that day.  
  
The air smelled of cigars and cologne. With every step he took the silhouette behind the desk became clearer. Sephiroth recalled his previous association of the office with the swimming pool and suddenly he wanted to laugh. He imagined the ever-so-dignified president, swimming around on the water surface in his extremely expensive-looking suit, desperately trying not to wet his cigar.  
  
Ghalager came to a halt a few meters before the huge desk. Actually, he stopped so abruptly that Sephiroth, lost in his memories and fantasies, almost bumped into him.  
  
"Sir!" the SOLDIER's commander saluted.  
  
"Nice to see you, Ghalager. I'm glad you're on time."  
  
President Shinra was forty-three years old and still had a considerably young face. His fawn-red hair along with his blue eyes made him a handsome man. Due to the fact that he was sitting most of the time and had a passion for sophisticated dishes, he had been always fighting with overweight. Despite having those problems he still stayed in a good shape, he didn't drink a lot of alcohol and took some exercise from time to time. His only addiction were cigars, though unofficially he was also famous for his unimaginable penchant for women and luxury.  
  
Today he was not alone in his office. Sephiroth almost immediately noticed the massive silhouette of general Heidegger. The bearded chief of security - who looked more like a bandit from a fairy tale than a law guardian anyway - stood just beside the president's armchair. His hands were clasped behind his back and he looked slightly nervous.  
  
Scarlett, a nuclear physicist by profession, now the chief of the Weapon Department, sat on a leather couch placed to the left. As always, she wore the shortest and tightest dress possible. Scarlett was twenty-six and still acted like a horny teenager. She loved to dress provocatively. Her hair had been cut short to uncover masses of earrings in her ears. With her blonde strands and long, shapely legs, Scarlett was perceived as a real beauty by many.  
  
The last person present was Hojo, as ever wearing his white, long laboratory coat and glasses. He was leaning against the couch carelessly. He straightened himself only after Shinra greeted the officer.  
  
'Over a half of the board members.' - thought Sephiroth to his own surprise - 'Plus general Ghalager. It has to be something important.'  
  
"Ah, Sephiroth." the president smiled broadly, lighting another cigar "How nice to see you again! Don't be shy, come a little closer! My boy, not only have you grown during those two years. You look almost like a man now! This green uniform fits you perfectly."  
  
Shinra was marveling at him like this for a while. Sephiroth didn't say a word. He knew the president didn't expect him to say anything. With a corner of his eye he noticed that Scarlett is watching him curiously. The last time they saw each other was three years ago.  
  
Finally Shinra ended his litany of delights and lounged in his armchair more comfortably.  
  
"How are you, boy?" he finally asked.  
  
"I am fine, thank you." with some effort he fought off the strong desire to shrug his shoulders.  
  
Every time the president asked him the same question and every time his own answer was identical. Considering the fact that lately they were seeing each other very rarely, Shinra most probably just didn't remember that.  
  
"Alright, Ghalager." the president inhaled the smoke of his cigar "Speak, I'm listening very carefully."  
  
Ghalager nodded.  
  
"According to our expectations" he started "also this time Sephiroth turned out to be the best recruit in the whole Cadet School, even compared to much older students. He leads the table with more than three thousand points." Ghalager made a short pause for the information to sink in "At the rifle- range he got exactly 99,9999 percent. Absolutely nobody has a chance to win a hand-to-hand combat or a sword duel with him, even I, in spite of the difference in height. He activates Materia in a blink of an eye. He solves computer strategy simulations in a time no longer than two hours, and this concerns only the biggest boards. He beats most of them in a matter of fifteen, twenty minutes. As for the agility games, he has never lost a single race. In other words. " the general looked at the others attentively "he could have easily already finished this school a year ago, while officially he still hasn't reached the age in which recruits are normally enrolled."  
  
"And it's all possible?" asked Scarlett, feeling slightly shocked.  
  
"Yes it is." Ghalager nodded seriously "Such are the results."  
  
"Impressive, truly impressive." the president nodded his head in approval several times and gave the boy almost a fatherly look.  
  
Sephiroth nearly snorted, felling quite irritated. The things they were talking about. he knew about them for a long time and without their help, really. He listened to the conversation indifferently, looking around the huge office just to kill time.  
  
"And that, exactly, is the problem" Ghalager continued "because we don't really know what to do with the boy. He won't find a worthy opponent among computer programs or other students, even among our teachers here. He's evidently bored during his lessons. He wastes his time because in Midgar he won't learn anything more. Due to those reasons."  
  
"Hold on, just wait a second." Scarlet interrupted him "I'm not surprised to hear our training staff is poor, it's nothing new. However, virtual- reality programs."  
  
"We hire the best instructors in the world!" Heidegger cut her off; he was most likely seeking for a pretext to start an argument "Don't speak about something you have no idea of!"  
  
And so for a moment a small hell broke out, at least until Shinra finally decided to silence the furious general and the virulent physicist. During the whole time this quarrel lasted Sephiroth felt terribly bored - well, he was bored most of the time lately. He looked at the huge desk and at all of those buttons on its right side, absently wondering what their purpose might be. Then the lifted his gaze to the window but he didn't notice anything apart from a dirty sky with some shreds of long-faded blue which were visible only in a few places. The argument - now concerning some really ridiculous issues - went on and Sephiroth noticed that Hojo's eyes are narrowed and the professor is rubbing his cheek a little - these were the very signs of his extreme irritation which Sephiroth knew just too well. Ghalager was calm and composed as always, although his face showed quite clearly that he had also had enough. Sephiroth moved his gaze to the furniture, to the walls. And suddenly he spotted something, which - he was certain about that - wasn't in the office two years ago.  
  
There was a sword hanging on the wall.  
  
Sephiroth wondered whether it's not a replica. The sword didn't look as if anybody was supposed to fight with it - for it was at least five feet long and undoubtedly served as a decoration in the office now. The handle was shining like if it had been made of the finest silver. The blade - long and narrow - looked deadly, sharp and durable as well. Above the sword hanged a sheath - black, simple and without any ornaments but Sephiroth, to his great surprise, noticed that it was formed of black obsidian - which was one of the rarest materials in the world. Something like that must have cost fortune.  
  
As if hypnotized, Sephiroth was gazing at the blade. Involuntarily he started to wonder, how does it feel to fight which such a sword. The longer he looked at the sword, the more small shivers he felt going down his spine.  
  
"I have enough of your arguments!" Shinra finally lost his patience, raising himself slightly in his armchair. It made Heidegger and Scarlett instantly silent. "Shut up finally!" the president sat down heavily "Heidegger, what's gotten into you? Why have you started this?"  
  
"I wasn't the one who started that, it was Scarlett."  
  
"Silence!"  
  
The general and the lady-scientist stopped talking, this time for good. For a moment they both looked a little embarrassed, although they still didn't stop to look at each other angrily, with a strong dislike written all over their faces.  
  
"Just like children. Exactly like children." noticed a disguised Hojo, adjusting his glasses.  
  
"I didn't invite you here to yell at each other like some old women at a fair." said the president when he was sure that Scarlett and Heidegger had already cooled down "This was not the issue we were supposed to discuss! You're going to speak about it at a Tuesday meeting of the members of the board! Now we're talking about." at this moment he realized what was Sephiroth looking at; the boy wasn't even pretending that he's interested in the conversation. Shinra went silent for a moment "Sephiroth?" at the sound of his name the boy reluctantly tore his gaze from the weapon. The president remained quiet for a while "Do you like it?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded wordlessly.  
  
The president stood up from behind his desk. He went to the wall where the weapon hanged and turned around to the boy. For a moment he glanced at him with his penetrating blue eyes. Sephiroth ignored this look, the sword was everything that interested him at the moment.  
  
"Then take it." the president said "of course if you are able to."  
  
With a visible surprise on his face Sephiroth averted his eyes from the silver blade. He looked at the president, to seek on his face any trace showing this was only a joke, yet he found none.  
  
"If I am able to?" finally he decided to ask.  
  
"It's heavy." explained Shinra "Very heavy. Now come on, what are you waiting for?" he added after a while, a little impatient of the boy's stillness and silence "Take it."  
  
"What kind of a sword is this anyway?" Scarlett became interested "It's been hanging here for over half of a year but I never got a chance to ask. It has to be worth fortune. and it looks very dangerous."  
  
"I bought it for one and a half million gil from some private collector." explained the president. Hearing the staggering amount of gil Ghalager almost sighted "That collector was said to be a keen treasure hunter. or something like that. He said he had found the sword in a temple, somewhere far to the South. Not much is known about it, we are only sure that it's an antique."  
  
"An artifact" Hojo corrected him.  
  
"An artifact.?" Scarlett narrowed her eyes "Do you mean that once this weapon belonged to the Anci."  
  
"Exactly." the professor cut her short "It may be even older than their civilization."  
  
"It's a few thousand years old then.?" Heidegger shook his head.  
  
"Yes, more or less"  
  
"Unfortunately, the sword can only hang on the wall." the president inhaled the smoke of his cigar deeply "It's very sharp, very dangerous and everything like that, but it's so heavy that no one could possibly swing it. The collector said a few people have already tried, including some really fine warriors. They managed to lift it off the ground only."  
  
"So heavy?" asked Heidegger.  
  
"It weights forty kilograms" Shinra shrugged his arms "I needed two people to hang it in my office."  
  
"What?" choked the bearded general "Why would anybody make such a weapon?"  
  
"Times had been different." Scarlett noticed philosophically "It's a pity that the sword isn't fitted for anybody. It would made a wonderful weapon, I'm sure about it."  
  
"I wonder whether it really isn't fitted." Hojo slightly frowned, looking at the silver-haired boy. The president shot the scientist an intrigued glance.  
  
"We will see about that." Shinra decided "An artifact, you say. Sephiroth, come here." the boy silently followed his command "I've heard that you're rather strong for a child of your age. Come on, boy, try it."  
  
Without hesitating any second longer, as if directed by a strange impulse, Sephiroth reached out for the sword. The curious adults moved a little closer to see everything better, only Hojo stayed where he was.  
  
Sephiroth lifted the sword with one hand.  
  
"Heavy." he murmured quietly but his hand didn't shake even the slightest bit.  
  
Ghalager whistled through clenched teeth. Heidegger was completely stunned. Scarlett only shook her head, clinking with her earrings. The president's surprise was soon replaced with a bright, triumphant smile.  
  
Hojo's face remained blank and inscrutable.  
  
Ignoring the adults Sephiroth lifted the sword to his eye level and started to look at the weapon even more carefully. The whole blade was covered with extremely beautiful, small writing. The letters didn't resemble any language he knew.  
  
"What language is that?" the boy asked slowly.  
  
"Old." Hojo cut him short, intent on not starting the discussion about Cetra.  
  
Meanwhile, Scarlett, Heidegger and Ghalager came closer. Scarlett watched the runes engraved on the sword with an interest clearly written all over her young face.  
  
"Well, you could at least tell us what is written here." she asked the professor "You won't make me believe that the Science Department hasn't been studying it."  
  
"We don't know." Hojo sincerely answered, shrugging his arms "Our best scientists tried to solve this mystery but to no avail."  
  
"It is written here." Sephiroth said suddenly. Everyone momentarily fixed a surprised gaze on him. The silver-haired boy didn't tear his eyes from the blade and he spoke very quietly "It is written here." his eyes shone so brightly that a few green reflections appeared on the blade "---Jestem ?wi?te ostrze Masamune. Dla ciebie zosta?em stworzony, by wype?ni? twoje przeznaczenie---" Sephiroth ended slowly.  
  
None of the adults moved. For a long, really long moment there was complete silence.  
  
"What's happening?" Ghalager seemed to be the one most thrown off balance. Apart from Sephiroth he was the only person who didn't know anything about the Jenova Project.  
  
"Um." the president spoke calmly, ignoring the comment "Such things." he pointed to the boy ".have they happened to him before.?"  
  
"No. never." Hojo shook his head. He expected the boy to lift the sword but hearing the language of the Ancients totally surprised him. The professor stared at his son in silence, fascinated.  
  
Suddenly Sephiroth blinked his eyes and almost dropped the weapon to the ground. Puzzled, he looked around. He reminded somebody who have just awoken from a deep trance.  
  
"Sephiroth..?" Shinra leaned over him "Are you alright.?"  
  
The boy looked at the president. In his unusual, green-blue eyes there was a visible surprise.  
  
"Yes." he murmured.  
  
"Do you remember what you've just said.?" the president asked further.  
  
"Yes. But. but. I cannot repeat it." Sephiroth rapidly shook his head.  
  
"Do you at least know what does that mean?" Hojo questioned him.  
  
"Yes." Sephiroth almost jumped at the sound of the scientist's voice behind his back "It was the sentence engraved in the sword. I cannot read it any more." he repeated, looking at the runes on the blade "But I still remember. Here is written: ---I am the holy blade Masamune. I have been created to fulfill your destiny---" Sephiroth blinked his eyes very quickly "I have no idea where do I know it from. but I speak the truth."  
  
Sephiroth slightly lowered his eyelids, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, in an identical gesture as Hojo. He couldn't exactly understand what has just happened. He remembered that when he took the weapon into his hand, he almost instantly felt pin and needles all over his body. Then he looked at the runes. and they started to move. just like small worms, creating for a moment a completely different inscription. which Sephiroth had just read aloud.  
  
He could have sworn that the sword is magical. But the magic didn't exist! Only Mako and Materia existed.  
  
Something was not the way it should be and Sephiroth was absolutely sure of that.  
  
"There is something more." he hesitated. He rarely spoke of his own free will so Hojo threw him a surprised glance. In spite of that Sephiroth continued "The sword has become lighter. Almost utterly light."  
  
"Show me!" Heidegger became interested, coming closer. Sephiroth carefully passed him the weapon "Uuuuh!" the general groaned when on his extended hand over forty kilograms of weight were placed. Heidegger didn't manage to bear it. The smooth handle slipped out from his fingers.  
  
With unbelievable, inhuman reflex Sephiroth caught the sword just above the ground. With one hand. The blade didn't even touch the floor; it stopped only a few centimeters above it.  
  
Scarlett cursed in awe.  
  
"Scarlett." the president frowned slightly but it was clearly visible that he was impressed, too.  
  
Ghalager whistled quietly again. Hojo's face still was expressionless, since he was the only person who knew his son's abilities. Heidegger started to massage his aching forearm with his other hand.  
  
Sephiroth straightened up slowly, with the sword still in his hand. It was obvious that holding the blade didn't cause him any problems.  
  
"Light as a feather, yeah, right." grumbled the chief of security.  
  
"So know we already know how much you are worth, Heidegger." Scarlett mocked him.  
  
"Shut up." growled the general, throwing her a furious glare. It looked as if another argument was going to break out in a moment, everyone knew well that these two disliked each other particularly. Scarlett was already opening her mouth to retort.  
  
"So I assume the sword hasn't lost any of its previous weight?" Ghalager interrupted them "There is no point in taking it into my hand?"  
  
"Take it to hell!" Heidegger snorted angrily.  
  
"Are you all going to throw it, or what?" sneered Scarlett.  
  
"Be quiet, all of you!" now the president got annoyed. He looked at the light-haired man "Ghalager, what do you care?"  
  
"I'm just curious." the SOLDIER's commander shrugged. Because Shinra didn't say anything more, he turned to Sephiroth ".May I?"  
  
Sephiroth reluctantly handed him the sword. The longer he held the weapon, the more difficult it was for him to part with it. As if the blade pulled him closer, though he didn't really understand how and why. That has to be magic! He thought. But no, it was impossible. Professor Hojo always repeated that magic does not exist. However, the sword was special. To his surprise Sephiroth suddenly discovered that he does not want Ghalager to drop the weapon. This blade didn't deserve to be thrown around.  
  
The SOLDIER carefully reached for the handle. Thanks to Mako running in his veins, he managed to carry the weight. He wanted to swing it but he soon discovered that he couldn't. So he hold the weapon till his hand began to shake. Afraid not to disgrace himself like Heidegger did, Ghalager gave the sword back to the boy.  
  
"It is heavy." he said "To heavy to fight with."  
  
"Oh is it?" Hojo smiled slightly, looking at his son.  
  
"You don't possibly think that." started Ghalager.  
  
"And why not?" the scientist interrupted him "Are we supposed to hang such a weapon back?"  
  
"But Ghalager says that it can't be fought with." Shinra raised his eyebrows.  
  
The SOLDIER's commander wordlessly looked at Sephiroth who stood in front of him. The thirteen-year-old boy still stared at the runes engraved in the blade and seemed to be completely absent, entirely lost in his thoughts.  
  
"Sephiroth?" Ghalager asked. The boy slowly lifted his head "Can you perform any kata with it?"  
  
"That ridiculous!" Scarlett protested "The sword is bigger than the boy! The blade itself is longer than one and a half meter! What are you thinking of?"  
  
"Scarlett." Ghalager shook his head "Calm down, would you? Sephiroth.?"  
  
Sephiroth looked at the weapon he held. It wasn't heavy but its length could present a serious problem. The boy hesitated. The silver shone almost provocatively. Just try me. it was as if the weapon was saying that. Come on, why not.  
  
Ghalager stepped aside, letting him pass. Sephiroth stopped in the middle of the office. He slowly started the first kata, carefully mowing the tip of the blade in the air, just to test the weapon at first. Going through all the positions took him as many as two minutes. He was afraid that the long blade would slip out of his fingers.  
  
Slowly and gradually, however, he started to grow accustomed to the weapon. The sword began to move more quickly. When he reached the fourth kata, the blade was already singing in his hands, swiftly cutting the air, drawing more and more complicated images around the boy.  
  
Sephiroth jumped to more and more complicated combinations. He closed his eyes. For him it was fun and the best way to relax possible. He didn't need to think, he didn't need to concentrate. The complex moves followed each other smoothly. The boy's silver hair and the sword's silver blade danced together in unison. There was no such as perfect harmony in the world.  
  
Sephiroth performed the twentieth kata excellently, with precision and speed that were literally breathtaking. Ending the last series of parries the boy threw the weapon high above his head. The sword whirled and shined for a short moment. Sephiroth jumped into the air, performing a very quick double back somersault. Without opening his eyes he caught the handle with his left hand and froze with the tip of the sword resting on the floor.  
  
There was complete silence in the office.  
  
Scarlett cursed. This time president Shinra didn't correct her.  
  
For a long moment nobody spoke. Sephiroth stood motionless in the middle of the room, showing only some minor signs of fatigue. Hojo was smiling slightly. Heidegger forgot to shut his mouth completely. Scarlett and Shinra both blinked, the president even dropped his inseparable cigar. Ghalager shook his head in disbelief, though he had seen it many times before.  
  
Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes.  
  
"Do you still think the sword is not fitted for fighting?" asked Hojo in complete silence.  
  
"No. I guess not." muttered Heidegger, plucking his black beard.  
  
"Well, you could not always be right, I suppose." completed Scarlett thoughtfully. And just then she cursed again, still quite shocked, and asked "Ghalager, have you taught him all this?"  
  
"Not really." admitted the general "But it makes quite an impression, doesn't it? I told you, the kid wastes himself in Midgar."  
  
"I couldn't agree more." president Shinra eagerly agreed "Then what do you all suggest?"  
  
"Hmmm." Heidegger thought aloud "Perhaps it's time we sent the boy to Wutai? To have somebody kick those guerrilla's butts at last?"  
  
"He is to young to fight in a war!" Hojo snarled immediately.  
  
Heidegger, Scarlett and Shinra shot him instantly their curious glances. Was the arrogant scientist suddenly acting like a father? Sephiroth looked at the visibly irritated professor with surprise, too. Since when did Hojo care so much about him?  
  
The boy was also struck by the general's words. Wutai. Of course he'd heard about the war Shinra's been waging for over twenty years - but with no satisfying results. Lots of different commanders followed but none could force the Wutaian Army to withdraw above the thirtieth parallel's line.  
  
Sephiroth's head was suddenly spinning. Since going to Wutai meant. leaving Midgar! Sephiroth has never been out of the Metropolis before.  
  
"Next time before you'll say anything as brilliant and witty as that, Heidegger, better count up to one hundred" Hojo said in an icy voice "Perhaps you'd forget it meanwhile."  
  
"You need him in Midgar?" asked president Shinra.  
  
Although nobody noticed that, Sephiroth shivered slightly, because partially he understood what they were talking about. Scarlett rolled her eyes in irritation. Since she had learned about the very details of the Jenova Project a few years ago, she still couldn't help feeling a small thrill of disgust going down her spine every time she heard about Hojo's experiments.  
  
"No, it's not about that." answered the scientist angrily, while noticing the half-amused, half-disgusted glances of the other members of the board "Damn, the boy is but thirteen years old. I don't want him to die under some orders a of moron who will send the squad straight into an ambush because he was too lazy to check the area first!" the professor smiled maliciously "Well, as far as I'm concerned, general Fredrickson is quite famous for practicing that lately" he added after a small pause.  
  
"Fredrickson is not a." started Heidegger, becoming red on his face.  
  
"Hojo is partially right." Ghalager unexpectedly spoke "The kid is too young to lead the operation himself and it would be a stupidity to send him there as a cannon fodder."  
  
"Oh come on, but it's clear that he can defend himself!" Scarlett pulled a face.  
  
"And if so, I don't see a problem here." Heidegger backed her up "If I were to decide."  
  
"But you are not, it's the President's decision." Hojo cut him short.  
  
"Indeed." the president lighted yet another cigar "I do realize, Heidegger, that you're in quite a hurry. Things are not going very well. We spent a mass of gil on this damn war. However, we." he paused, loosing the thread in the boy's and Ghalager's presence "Um. On some other project we spent almost twice as much. And I would definitely not like those money to get wasted."  
  
"You are absolutely right, sir." agreed Hojo momentarily. Heidegger glanced at him furiously.  
  
"So what, are we going to wait forever!? Perhaps till the Wutaians would come to Midgar! You've heard what Ghalager had said at the beginning! The boy is not going to learn anything new!"  
  
"He is not going to learn anything new here." spoke the SOLDIER's commander "Therefore I would like to suggest something. Let's send the boy to the Academy in Junon. And then. we shall see."  
  
"The academy?" asked Scarlett.  
  
"A school for officers." the general explained patiently "The boy will grow up and meanwhile he'll learn how to command. All out best strategists graduated from that school."  
  
"Fredrickson too?" mocked Hojo but he composed himself almost instantly "That sounds at least a little more reasonable."  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact, an officer degree is a requirement if one is to be enrolled, furthermore, the army regulations state that you can apply for an officer degree only if you are eighteen years old." Ghalager continued adamantly "However, I believe we will all agree that an exception for the boy could be done. What do you think, sir?"  
  
Everybody looked at the person the general asked. Shinra was silently smoking his cigar.  
  
For a moment Sephiroth stopped breathing. He was not that naive to believe that in Junon it would be much different for him than here. Another school, another shouting officers and another much older boys who wouldn't like to have anything to do with him. Nevertheless he has dreamed to see the world outside Midgar for many years. And maybe. - Sephiroth trembled a little bit - maybe if he left he would be free of professor Hojo at last?  
  
Now everything depended on Shinra and impatient, irritated Sephiroth discovered he could not tear his eyes from the red-haired man who was still smoking his cigar with a stoic patience.  
  
After a while, that seemed like an eternity to everybody, the president finally spoke.  
  
"Then let it be so. The boy will go to Junon."  
  
Sephiroth didn't even twitch. The look on his face didn't change the slightest bit.  
  
"Thank you for your trust, sir." Ghalager bowed slightly.  
  
"I thought he is not a member of the board." Heidegger grumbled almost inaudibly.  
  
"Are you pleased, professor?" asked Shinra, ignoring the comment.  
  
"It could have been worse." Hojo shrugged his arms.  
  
The president thought about something for a while.  
  
"And what about you? Do you like it?" he asked finally.  
  
Sephiroth knew he was supposed to answer the question, though he perfectly realized that his answer was absolutely of no significance. And even if it were, everything has been already set. Shinra never went back on his words.  
  
In his thoughts Sephiroth snorted. What was he now supposed to say? That he hated Midgar? The apple of Shinra's eye? That he was dying to leave this place?  
  
"Does this mean I am being promoted?" he asked, raising his calm gaze.  
  
President laughed slightly, truly amused.  
  
"Yes, you're being promoted."  
  
"Perhaps for a warrant officer?" Scarlett offered casually, brushing a few strands of her light hair aside and narrowing her eyes mischievously. Sephiroth wondered if she's not having fun at his expense. He didn't care about the promotion, however, because he knew that in a new school he'd have to start everything from the beginning anyway "But wait, that's even better!" Scarlett added in a flash of sudden insight "We'll make you a lieutenant. A lieu-te-nant." she said very slowly, drawing out every single syllable "That sounds much more prettier."  
  
"What does it matter.!" Heidegger snorted, furious because during the last half of an hour he made a fool of himself at least three times "It could be a lieutenant as well."  
  
"Strange are those methods of yours." mocked Hojo "Promoting, I mean. Did you make Fredrickson a ge-ne-ral using the same technique as well?"  
  
Sephiroth fought off a small smile playing upon his lips. President Shinra cackled openly. Scarlett and Heidegger both turned red in anger.  
  
"Well, still it is I who will decide, since I'm his commander." spoke Ghalager "The promotion is only a formality, the rank is of no importance. Nevertheless." he approached Sephiroth and clasped his hands behind his back "Sephiroth, I officially appoint you a lieutenant."  
  
"Yes, sir." Sephiroth answered, saluting. In his other hand he still held the weapon; the tip of the blade was resting gently on the floor.  
  
"Oh." Scarlett suddenly remembered "The sword!"  
  
"Oh well." president Shinra sighted "I guess one of the decorations is going to leave my office permanently. Take it." he addressed Sephiroth "It's yours. Along with the rest." he pointed to the sheath hanging on the wall "You've proven that you deserve it."  
  
The boy's eyes widened in astonishment. Was he really receiving from Shinra something like that? The sword's handle was made of silver. The blade of the most durable and probably also most expensive alloy Sephiroth has ever seen. The sheath of incredibly rare black obsidian. And the most important thing: the weapon was magical. Sephiroth couldn't explain it. he just knew it.  
  
He stood motionless, gazing at the blade as hypnotized.  
  
"Perhaps you could thank the president for the present, hm?" Hojo's angry voice brought him back to reality. Sephiroth blinked his eyes.  
  
"Thank you, sir." he said at once, his voice emotionless; he didn't even lift his gaze to look at the red-haired man.  
  
Hojo rolled his eyes in extreme irritation and shook his head apologetically. Shinra waved his hand as if getting rid of one and a half million gil didn't bother him the slightest bit.  
  
"It's alright." he said "The boy would at least make a good use of it." he inhaled the smoke of his cigar "Now leave the office, please. All of you. I still have a lot of work to do. Heidegger, you're staying. I expect a detailed report from you, concerning the latest events near Fúruju.  
  
The general pulled a face. He hated verbal reports on another defeats. Apparently this wasn't his lucky day at all.  
  
Hojo and Scarlett began to move through the door. Ghalager still waited. Sephiroth came up to the wall and took the sheath down. It looked ordinarily but it was an illusory impression. The black obsidian cost fortune and the boy knew it. Carefully he put the sword inside.  
  
Leaving the office he looked around for the last time. The president was lounging in his armchair while furious Heidegger reported. Sephiroth appreciated his promotion but truly only the sword mattered. And it didn't really concern him how much it cost. He was not going to hang it back on a wall anyway.  
  
The end. or is it?  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Well, please tell me, what do you think!? Are my grammar, spelling or cohesion really so horrible that they make it impossible to enjoy the fic? What about the comas.? I know they suck. I'd love to read your comments and I'd welcome gladly any constructive criticism! Perhaps there are some really very serious mistakes? I beg you, people, send me some e-mail, so I could write more and better, and improve my English. Pleeeease!  
  
Anyway, I guess I'm not going to stop writing or translating, no matter what. I just love writing Sephiroth. In this fic he's rather shy, calm and cynical (Well. but what else can he do.? They ignore him and discuss his future as if he were not even there.) but I love writing 'every Sephiroth possible'. I write about his live in the army, about him as a recruit or trainee, about the war in Wutai. I create tons of hypothesis about his dim and distant past - either very sad (mostly), either happy. I write about him as lover or about his inability to fall in love. I picture him as a lost Jenova puppet or a ruthless madman. If he'd lived longer in the game, I'd most probably write stuff like 'Sephiroth and his midlife crisis' or 'Good old grandpa Sephiroth. uh. something' Oh man. I'm fully aware of the fact that I'm dangerously obsessed. Well, you surely get the idea by yourselves now.  
  
So, if you want me to finish or translate any of those stories, just review or send me an e-mail, as I mentioned before (falls to her knees begging.). Ah, and don't forget to let me know what do you think about the general idea of this fic! Many thanks for anything! 


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